Don't Go With Your Dreams Untold
by sunshinedaydream42
Summary: Inspired by song "Untold" by Pete Francis: Haley leaves Nathan for good to go on tour, and Lucas cheats on Brooke with Peyton. Both Brooke and Nathan are heartbroken, but can they find love/hope in one another, or are they destined to be alone?
1. 1: The Two Loneliest People in Tree Hill

**Background Information:**

**Brooke and Lucas were dating for a very long time, and in that time Brooke changed pretty dramatically. She became class president and stopped partying as much as she used to. Peyton dated Jake and a few other guys on and off, but was secretly lusting after Lucas the entire time. Unbeknownst to Brooke, Lucas was harboring feelings for Peyton as well. Nathan and Haley broke up for good because Haley did not come back from tour. One night, Peyton confessed her infatuation with Lucas to Brooke, and told Brooke that she couldn't help her feelings and didn't know if she could bury them. Brooke was furious with Peyton, and several days later saw them kissing on Peyton's webecam (like in the first season)..**

Nathan sat lazily in his desk, pretending to take notes while his English Lit teacher drawled on about Emerson and some pond. Or was it Thoreau? Nathan didn't know because he wasn't listening. He just scribbled in his notebook like he did every day. He looked at the clock and realized he had only been in class for ten minutes, and had a solid forty-three left. Just as he was about to raise his hand and ask for a bathroom pass-in which he would take full advantage of–he, along with the rest of his seventh period class, was startled by the abrupt bang of the door opening.

Brooke Davis walked in and handed a pass to Mr. Hunter. He looked as if he was about to object, but Brooke immediately said, "I was in the health room. Do I have to explain the female menstrual cycle to you, Mr. Hunter?". Several kids in the class snickered while a crimson shade began to wash over the teacher's face.

"No, Miss Davis, I can do without that, thank you. However, this is the third time this week you've been late, and I would appreciate if you got things taken care of a little bit earlier so you didn't miss out on my lecture". Brooke rolled her eyes and sat down in the vacant seat behind Nathan without even bothering to take out a notebook. Nathan turned around, and complimented the fellow escape artist on her great excuse.

"Your luck with teacher's is gonna run out one of these days, Davis"

The brunette just smirked and said, "Whenever I hint about any female issues, I'm golden". She took out her cell phone and began texting. Nathan shook his head, disgusted with the easy get-out-of-jail-free card given out to females, and continued with his plan to get the bathroom pass. Before leaving, he stole one more glance at Brooke. She smiled at something sent to her Iphone. Looking at her face, he realized that her smile didn't reach the potential it did several weeks ago. No more did her dimples reign over the rest of her beautiful features like they used to. It seemed as if as hard as she tried, she couldn't pull off the façade of happiness, and Nathan knew that feeling only too well.

**~~*~~**

"_So glad it's Friday. I can really only take so much of school these days…"_

"_Rachel, you skip like twice a day every day! It can't be that hard to handle"_

"_Yeah, says the slut who manages to scrape a late pass in almost every one of her classes. What teacher are you getting on your good side? Cuz if it's Mr. Holbrook I'd gladly participate in those extracurricular activities!"_

Brooke shook her head at her outrageous friend. Rachel Gatina had become the best friend she could ask for lately. Peyton had given up trying to apologize, and now the two former hoes who _supposedly_ put each other over bro's felt like one another was on a different planet. Brooke barely saw Peyton, and she was glad for it. Seeing Peyton would bring back the images she saw on her computer screen, and that would bring more pain into her life than she could handle at the moment. Peyton was easy to avoid now, but Lucas unfortunately wasn't.

The past few days, Brooke had been finding different teachers she could bother in order to miss out on the six minute passing period. She used to feel so thankful that Lucas and her had classes so close together, but after having her heart literally wrenched out and stomped on by her former boyfriend, walking to class together seemed like a sick ironic joke she wanted no part of.

"_Whatever, Rach. We both know you've had your way with enough teachers for the both of us ;)"_

"_Haha…I don't even know if I can deny it…. Anyway, I'm assuming you're coming to my house tonight? Sam said he'd DJ and I am going to have two kegs coming in…Sooo pumped"_

The last message glowed brightly in Brooke's lap. She looked up just in time to see a gangly, curly-haired girl walking together and laughing with a slender, brooding blonde. Pearly whites bit into flawlessly painted lips, and hazel eyes began to cloud with the threat of salt water. Shaking her head, as if forcing the emotion away, Brooke began typing into her phone.

"_Count me in. I want to be too drunk to function"_

_**~~*~~**_

MTV blared through the small apartment as Nathan got out of the shower. Looking at the clock, he realized it was already 9:05. He wanted to get to Rachel's before the keg was tapped. Looking through his closet, he brushed his dark, wet hair and tried to get himself excited for the night's upcoming events. He used to live for this; a drunken debacle filled with scantily clad high school girls all too willing to get into bed with the infamous Nathan Scott.

Changing into a pair of jeans and a nicer polo, he tossed his miniature rubber basketball into the hoop settled on his wall. It went into the hoop without touching the rim. Nathan smirked to himself and looked in the mirror. He pulled off the polo pretty well. Not wanting to be the first one to the party, but wanting to leave his place before Tim called and asked to carpool, he sat down in his chair and cracked open a beer, deciding to watch the rest of whatever lame show was airing on the television.

The commercial break ended and the VJ on MTV started talking.

"_This next video is a special release of two new artists that have recently made their claim to fame a beautiful duet: Haley James and Chris Keller with 'When the Stars go Blue'. Hope you enjoy it!"_

Nathan stared at the TV and the curly haired bitch of a VJ. As the song started to play, he immediately shut it off. Grabbing the basketball, he slammed it into the hoop as hard as he could. This caused the unstable hoop to fall off the wall and knock over a box on his dresser. Nathan picked up the box, along with the contents that spilled out of it. He held a gold ring in his hand that was engraved with '_Always & Forever'_.

Looking at the ring, he slammed his fist into the wall.  
"Always and forever doesn't mean leaving, Haley!"

His shouts weren't met with anyone. No one was there to hear him. The one person he thought understood and would always be there for him had left to sing with some clown on TV. Nathan set the ring back down, and in a fit of rage punched the wall again, causing his knuckles to bleed. He went into the kitchen and downed the rest of his beer.

And with an angry grab at his keys and a "Fuck this", he was off in his truck, speeding to Rachel's so he could forget about the loneliness that consumed his life and threatened to swallow him whole.

**~~*~~**

With no parents in the giant home, Brooke Davis turned up the music as loud as she wanted. She opened up her closet, which was big enough to store at least fifteen of the hired help comfortably, and searched through her clothes. She wanted to look hot. She wanted to feel comfortable, or at least as comfortable as possible, when she saw Lucas and Peyton. Regardless of what she wore, she knew boys would be flocking around her. Brooke Davis being willing, drunk, and single was a blast from the past for the majority of Tree Hill High's most eligible bachelors, and they would be way too excited to leave her alone. But the hotter she looked, the better she felt, so she finally settled on a short, white jean skirt, a dark purple tank top that showed her stomach, and a tight black vest that barely, if that, covered the tank top. With her long chestnut hair loosely curled and the right amount of make-up, she felt as ready as she'd ever be.

She sprayed herself with a faint amount of her perfume, and called Rachel.

"Where the hell are you, Brooke?"

"Calm down, Java the Slut, I'm on my way"

"Well hurry up. I know it's a long way for your fat ass to trek, but I need you here soon so I can look even hotter than I already do when I stand next to you".

Brooke hung up her phone and sped off to Rachel's, pushing away all the anxiety that was threatening to bubble up out of her mind.

~~*~~

Lil Wayne's raspy voice came from every speaker in the Gatina mansion. Drunken adolescents holding red plastic cups laughed as they fell down the stairs, or made out on one of the many couches.

"Tim! That's fuego!"

Nathan was holding shop at the Beer Pong table, kicking ass and taking names. A few girls surrounded his side of the table, as he made yet another cup, got balls back, and finished off the game.

"This is too easy" he laughed.

One of the blondes standing close leaned next to his face and purred, "This game isn't the only thing that'll be easy for you".

Nathan looked at her, trying to look pleased with her comment. "Let me play another game, then come find me". He attempted to keep the smile on his face.

Meanwhile, Brooke was in the living room downing her fifth shot of Jose Cuervo . After biting into the lime, she asked one of the boys she recognized from one of her classes to pour her another one. She smiled at him, liking how tan and built he was. He seemed to at first be shocked that she's talking to him, but then got overly excited pouring the shot and spilt half of it. She laughed, licked her salty hand, and repeated her cycle from before. Brooke did this two more times before Rachel tapped her on the shoulder.

"Maybe you should slow down a little bit. You're not the tank you used to be, and you've only been here for fifteen minutes".

Brooke just playfully pushed the redhead away and sauntered off into another part of the house. The basement was filled with more loud music and dancing teenagers. She soon got accustomed to the beat of the music, and started seductively swaying her hips back and forth. A guy that looked vaguely familiar to her immediately came up to her and put his arms around her waist. Just as she began to enjoy the pulsing sensation of the music and the feeling of his strong hands holding tightly to her body, Brooke saw Lucas and Peyton in the corner.

Though she didn't stop dancing, her mind began to panic. A rush of emotion surged her, but she couldn't tell if it was sadness, fear, or anger. Brooke tried to look away, but only managed to for a minute. She knew she was the best looking girl in the room, and the way she was dancing managed to attract the majority of the eyes in the basement. Yet, Lucas wasn't looking at her. Brooke slowly turned around and guided her partner a little closer to the blonde pair, daring them to watch.

As the man turned her back around and began grinding into her, she saw that she hasn't managed to get any attention. In the pit of her stomach, a heavy sadness mixed in with the lightness she felt from all the alcohol. Her hands trembled a bit and she bit her lip to stop from cringing too much as she remembered the last time she felt this unwanted. All this went away when she began to feel her new acquaintance's hands starting to ride up her thigh, slightly underneath her tight skirt.

Brooke grabbed his hand and began to walk upstairs. He eagerly followed. She went to the kitchen, and took a large swig of a bottle full of dark liquid that was filled to the brim.

"Impressive" the man said. She just looked at him blankly, and says that she wants to go upstairs. He smiled, grabs the bottle, and leads her into one of the many vacant rooms in the Gatina's upstairs.

**~~*~~**

Nathan finished another game as he saw his old brunette friend stumbling up the stairs, being led by someone Nathan can't see. Though he hasn't talked to her in a long time, probably because their bond/group of friends was diminished as soon as Haley left, he knew she had changed her ways. In the beginning of high school, and even middle school, Nathan had been with Brooke as she began her partying and…._friendliness_. For some reason, that all changed when she met his half-brother, Lucas.

Seeing her now, a pitiful state of sloppiness, his automatic assumption is that she's drinking her problems away because that certain half-brother of his is downstairs, talking to a certain skinny blonde. Nathan wished he was a good enough guy, a good enough friend, to care. To care enough to stop her from being like every other slut in this house. But he didn't care, at least not that much. It was her choice to make.

Just then, a manicured hand tapped him lightly on the shoulder. The girls face was covered heavily with make-up, and her slender body outlined in her tight, low-cut shirt and jeans. Nathan nodded at her and she giggled as he finished what was left in his plastic cup. As she lead the way to the stairs, he heard down below a couple guys' laughs and hollers. It had been a long time since Nathan did the walk of shame up the stairway of a house-party. He used to do it countless times, with girls like Theresa, Bevin, and even Brooke. That was a long time ago, but now that he had no one to answer to, he figured he might as well let out some of his anger in a physical release.

The girl stopped in her tracks, turned around, and pressed Nathan into the wall. She straddled his left leg, and whispered in his ear that her name was Tracy, right before biting it. Her lips began to lick, then kiss his neck. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the tingling sensation he felt in his groin. It had been a while, so he was getting excited early. She noticed this, and with her right hand, began massaging his crotch. He stood there in bliss for a moment, trying to imagine she was Haley.

He realized what he was doing, and got disgusted with himself. Almost walking away, he was stopped when she pulled him back and opened up the nearest bedroom. Brooke lay there, topless, and almost completely motionless. The guy was taking off her skirt as she was mumbling and trying to kick him away with the little coherence she had left in her.

The girl named Tracy began to apologize and walk out, Nathan almost letting her, until he realized what was happening. Something inside him snapped.

"Woah, man, get the fuck out of here. Nathan, is that you?"

Nathan went up to the bed and grabbed the guy's shoulders. He instantly realized it was Robert Drought, a Tree Hill Alumni who was attending a community college nearby. Robert had used to be the hot shot back in the day at Tree Hill, and apparently now thought he was going to get action with a half passed out high school girl.

"What the hell are you doing, dude? And why are you at a high school party?" Nathan was outraged.

Robert smirked. "Obviously, to get girls like this" he responded. "Now get the fuck out of here, I want to get laid tonight."

Brooke's eyes fluttered open a little bit, and mumbled "Get away….Not…Lucas".

"Baby, I'll be whoever you want me to be" Robert said, and sucked her neck roughly. Then he turned to Nathan, and told him to get out of the room.

Nathan pulled the guy up by his collar, and punched him square in the jaw. Tracy gasped and Tim and Skillz, who were walking by, walked in to the room to see what was going on.

"Yo Nate, what's all this about?" Questioned skillz.

"Just get this fool out of the house, now!" came Nathan's menacing voice.

He looked Robert dead in the eye. "Don't touch her again" Nathan warned, and pushed him and Tracy out, and locked the door. He ran his fingers through his hair, and looked at the half empty bottle next to the bed. Awkwardly, he pulled back up Brooke's white skirt, and attempted to put her tank top on, giving up on the vest. He decided that she should go home, so he picked her up, and carried her outside. On the drive home, he had to pull over twice to let her throw up. Her petite frame trembled as physical waves shook her. Finally, they made it to her house, and he helped her upstairs and to her bed, giving her a glass of water.

As he shut off the lights, Brooke took a large gulp of water, and looked at Nathan. Her eyes, once full of vibrance and love that literally made them sparkle, were dull and blank. "Please" she whispered, "Stay here with me."

He looked down at her and asked her if she even know who he was.

"Nathan, I know who you are. You're the only one who feels what I feel. I never thought I'd say that, but you are the only one...who is alone like me."

Her slurred words hung in the air as he swallowed what she said. Though she was inebriated out of her mind and probably wouldn't remember what she had said the next morning, she was right. He would have never imagined that one night he'd leave a party and a possible hook-up, because Brooke Davis didn't want to sleep with someone. He wouldn't have ever dreamed that he would be in a bed, together with Brooke, while they both let the sorrow of being the two loneliest people in Tree Hill wash over them. But there were here nonetheless, with Brooke drunkenly passed out, and Nathan wide awake thinking about what Haley was doing on tour. They were in the same bed, together, but very _very_ alone at the same time..

**So..what do you think? Please PLEASE review! And don't be too mean :) I'll try to update this as soon as I get enough reviews that'll encourage me to continue!**


	2. 2: Grasping Just to Survive

Brooke woke up to the sound of someone's loud footsteps going up her stairs. Or perhaps no one was stomping, it was just her hangover that was pounding into her and latching itself on to her head. She grumbled and tucked her chestnut head underneath her pillow, trying to go back to sleep. It wasn't until she felt another person's fingers playing with a few strands of her hair that she was forced to accept that someone was in her room. Brooke opened her eyes, and then immediately shut them after seeing who had walked in.

"Good morning, drunk ass"  
"Good? Tell that to my headache"

Rachel laughed, and sat down comfortably on her bed. "Yeah, that'll happen after pounding tequila like you did last night."

Tequila. The taste still lingered on Brooke's chapped lips and the smell still drenched her pores. She tried to sit up but immediately regretted it after feeling her forehead close in on her brain. She laid back down.

"I tried to get you to slow down, and you pushed me away. Next thing I know, I'm coming out of the hot tub and you're M.I.A. Care to explain why you left the bash so early?"

Brooke rolled over and looked at the ceiling. Her night was fuzzy to say the least, and she didn't remember leaving Rachel's. She remembered Jose Cuervo, dancing, and Lucas with Peyton.

"I don't really remember most of my night"

"Good, cause I didn't want to hear about your night anyways". The redhead laughed and laid down next to her friend. Turning to her, she scrutinized Brooke's face. Rachel could tell that she was holding something in, so she went with her gut and asked her a question. "Leaving didn't have anything to do with seeing Lucas in my basement with that anorexic bitch, did it?"

Brooke gulped, tried to scoff and remain expressionless. Though she had no recollection of leaving, she remembered the feeling in the pit of her stomach when she saw the two people who used to be the most important people in her life talking to each other in a corner, completely ignoring Brooke's presence. It was the same feeling she got every time she let her mind wander back to the day she saw them kiss on the webcam. Her friendship with her lifelong best friend, and her relationship with the boy who took her heart were destroyed by one glance at her computer screen. Thinking about it brought back her tears of shame for being so ignorant, and the crushing weight of all her insecurities. Brooke avoided eye contact with Rachel when she told her that she didn't even see them.

"Ah, that's a good thing considering Peyton's outfit. It was even worse than yours."

Brooke forced a smile and nodded. Her bond with Rachel had begun a little bit before her friendship with Peyton had shattered. They had started out as rivals; both battling for head cheerleader and for Lucas, and later realized the two had a lot in common. After Brooke lost her firm grip on happiness, Rachel was there to try to pick up the pieces.

"_N-n-n-now Diva is a female version of a hustler, of a of a hustler, of a of a hustler"_

Beyonce's voice rang through Brooke's giant bedroom as Rachel picked up her phone. After reading the text and responding, she gave Brooke a quizzical look.

"So you have no idea how you got home last night?"

Brooke shook her head and questioned her friend on why she was asking.

"Skillz just texted me and asked if I knew if you were okay or not. Apparently you had some weird thing go down with Robert Drought, and Nathan took you home."

Blurred images immediately flooded Brooke's head: Nathan playing beer pong in the living room; Peyton and Lucas talking in the corner of the basement; A slightly older man smiling as Brooke chugged some sort of rum; Nathan's concerned face looking down at Brooke as he told her he'd spend the night. What had happened to her last night?

"Wow. I haven't woken up this disorientated in a while. I probably just embarrassed myself and Nathan took me home on his way back."

Brooke tried to sound nonchalant in her feeble explanation. Inside, her mind was whirling as she took in her new memories of the previous night. Had she had sex with some random college drop out? Had she tried to seduce Nathan, her old friend, ex-boyfriend's brother, and ex-best friend's former flame?

Brooke stretched and reexamined the soreness of her body and taste in her mouth. Brooke's life before Lucas had been filled with one night stands and drunken hook-ups, so she was accustomed to waking up and not knowing what happened the night before. Her body had managed to learn how to tell whether or not the previous night's events included a romp or two. Fortunately, Brooke could tell that the stiffness in her back was probably from a rough stumble down the stairs, and the only taste in her mouth that remained was tequila and the vanilla-flavored rum.

Rachel watched as Brooke's face squinted in thought. She knew full well that regardless of how drunk Brooke had gotten, her friend's heart would not allow her to have jumped into any kind of sexual debacle. She knew the same conclusion applied to Nathan, and realized that it was probably no coincidence that the only person willing to take home a drunken mess of a girl early on a Friday night was someone who was just as broken inside as Brooke Davis.

**~~*~~**

Nathan's hard and calloused hands gripped his steering wheel as he made his way back to his apartment from the gas station. As a familiar Lil Wayne song came on the radio, memories from Rachel's party came stampeding into the forefront of his mind. Winning was always a great thing in a Scott's life, but being undefeated in beer pong usually meant being a little bit more sober than the rest.

If he had drank a little bit more, Nathan felt he might have woken up in a happier mood, despite having a menacing hangover like the rest of Tree Hill's upperclassmen. Maybe a few more shots would have allowed him to fuck Tracy with no holding back. Maybe a few more cups of cheap beer would have enabled him to become the obnoxious and pompous Nathan Scott people still remembered. Maybe a few more Jager-bombs would have gotten that stupid duet out of his head. But with alcohol consumption at an all-time low, Nathan had spent the night feeling as though all the liquor in the world couldn't take away the aching pain he carried with him every day.

Nathan shook his head in defeat. Instead, he had spent the night like had had spent every damn day since Haley's tour; faking. The only part of the night that he had allowed his forceful emotions to show was when he had been with Brooke. True rage from every pore in his body had come racing out as he punched the scumbag who had tried to take advantage of his drunken friend. Honest concern had shown through as he drove her home, and real vulnerability leaked onto the sheets of the bed he shared with Brooke Davis as he digested the thought of how lonely they both were.

The Saturday morning sun had came in through her window and decided to send a sharp glare right into his eyes, waking him up early. He had gotten up quickly, immediately feeling uncomfortable. Her body reacted to the absence of his warmth, so he covered her with her blanket, not wanting the dehydrated girl to wake up. He shifted his gaze from the paleness of her almost elegant face.

Nathan Scott had woken up with many beautiful girls in the same bed as him. He had woken up to bras, panties, condom wrappers, and empty beer cans. But never had he woken up to intimidation. After jumping into his truck, going to the gas station, and recalling the previous night on his drive home, he sat down in his living room chair and stared blankly at the television, trying to force himself not to think-a newly formed habit of his. Nathan didn't want to admit it, but he was full of fear.

As his fingers clicked the remote, wandering from channel to channel aimlessly, he tried to ignore the fact that Brooke had learned how lonely Nathan actually was. Though she had been completely wasted, he knew that the way he had put himself out there would resurface to her eventually.

His phone vibrated on the counter. Nathan looked at his digital clock.

10:14 AM.

Brooke would be awake by now.

Apprehensively, Nathan stood up and opened the text he had just received.

"_Hey Scott. I heard you drove my sloppy ass home last night. I was hoping we could meet for lunch or something, just to talk so I can thank you for last night."_

Nathan read the forcefully casual message from Brooke. Without any hesitation, he texted back.

"_Don't worry about last night, it wasn't a big deal. You don't have to thank me."_

He waited a few minutes, and then his phone vibrated again.

"_Well, could we meet at Black Canyon anyway? I'm bored and I know you probably are too. It doesn't have to be for long."_

Nathan noticed the dodge of Karen's Café. Of course Brooke didn't want to take a step into a place she had once called home, and Nathan sure as hell didn't want to drink coffee that his ex-wife used to serve. He wanted to avoid seeing Brooke today, but he didn't have any other plans he had to commit to. Watching MTV was getting old, anyway. And of course, the overbearing voice in the back of his head told him, he couldn't ignore Brooke for forever.

**~~*~~**

"_Okay, you win. 11 o'clock it is, I guess."_

A weak smile formed on Brooke's face as she read Nathan's text. She knew how bored he had to be, because Nathan wasn't the kind of guy who went to get coffee. She also knew that she hadn't just imagined that his overprotective shell had come off last night, because otherwise he wouldn't have begrudgingly agreed to meet her.

Steam covered her bathroom mirror as she took off the towel on her head, and put her phone in the charger. The Tylenol had begun to kick in, and her head was feeling better, though her hands were still a bit shaky. She brushed her hair, brushed her teeth, and scavenged her closet for something to wear. She settled on her favorite pair of jeans, and a tight, blank white tee-shirt. After putting on a little make-up and chapstick, Brooke sat down in her desk and turned on her laptop.

After logging into facebook, she noticed in horror that Bevin had tagged her in twelve photos. Brooke shook her head and ignored the notification, not yet wanting to come to terms with the state she had been in the night before. Her news feed showed new status updates, including Junk's confusing new status that read, "Junk is whistles go woo woo". **(*Auther's Note*: It's actually a somewhat funny youtube video about a wonderful man named Bub Rubb)** She smiled and shook her head. Boys never made sense.

Then she saw it. It was like everything else on her computer was blank, and this was in bold red, size 72.

"Peyton Sawyer is movie marathon with Lucas!"

She stared at the screen and started picturing the two blonde's enjoying their Saturday. Peyton would snuggle up to Lucas as they watched film after film in her red bedroom. Knowing Peyton and her constant need to be unique and dark, she'd probably force Lucas to watch 1940's movies about dolls coming to life or something. Brooke could feel a scowl forming on her face as she realized that they would probably talk about the night at Rachels. Brooke imagined them sitting there in their superiority and gloating in the fact that their former counterpart was back to her old pathetic ways.

A shiver crept up Brooke's spine, and she felt what little confidence she had remaining drain out of her at once. Peyton and Lucas were now together, and Brooke was all alone. Brooke was the butt of their jokes now, jokes that she had never seemed to really understand the whole time the three were "friends". She pushed her mouse up to the upper right hand corner of her computer, and typed in a name in her facebook search.

Nathan's page had no status updates, and no sign of him writing on anyone's wall. Like Brooke, Nathan _seemed_ to appear perfectly fine everyday at school, but unlike Brooke, Nathan didn't have the energy to do anything else to solidify his façade.

Just as Brooke was about to investigate further, she noticed that it was already 10:55. She was supposed to meet Nathan at 11, so she hurried downstairs and hopped in her VW Bug. Turning the car on and putting in gear, she sped down the road and made her way to Main Street.

She found a parking spot, and hopped out of her car. She noticed that Nathan's black truck was already waiting outside. Her fingers felt week as she grabbed the handle of the coffee shop's door. She saw Nathan sitting in a table in the far corner, fumbling with his keys.

Brooke didn't really know why she wanted to meet with him. Maybe it was to make sure she hadn't made a complete fool of herself after Rachel's, or maybe it was to find out if she really had imagined any kind of connection her and Nathan had the night before. Regardless of which instigated her to text him, she knew she had to try to reach out to him. She was grasping just to survive every day, and until this morning, she hadn't really thought that Nathan had been doing the same thing all along.

..

**So, I first wanted to say how thankful I am for all the reviews ******** You guys are so awesome! Please keep 'em coming! Also, sorry it took me so long to update. I'm super busy so it's hard for me to find time, but I promise I will! This chapter was kind of shorter, but I wanted to tie up some loose ends and kind of set some more groundwork. I'd LOVE advice on anything from writing techniques to where you'd like to see this story go, so feel free to say anything you want-no holding back. -CG**


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